Fluid seal for fittings



April 6, 1948. J. 0. DE WEESE v 3 I FLUID SEAL FOR FITTINGS Filed June22, 1944 2 heets-$heet 1 JOSEPH 6. DE WEEISE aw/4 (A April 6, 1948. J.c. DE WEESE 2,439,244

mun sm, FOR purines Filed June 22, 1944 I I 2'Sheets-$heet 2 JOSEPH 6'.05575535 I Patented Apr. 6, 1948 r FLUID SEAL FOR FITTINGS Joseph C. DeWeese, Essex, Md., assignor to The Glenn L. Martin Company, MiddleRiver, Md., a corporation of Maryland Application-June 2 2, 1944, SerialNo. 541,567

. 1 This invention relates to tank fittingsand more particularly to a,structure for supporting any form of fitting to the wall of a fuel tankwherein the fitting will be firmly positioned on the tank and the jointbetween the tank and the fitting will be leakproof.

An object of the invention is to provide means for attaching fillerpipes, discharge lines, tank holding clips or other form of fittings tothe wall of a tank, particularly to aircraft fuel tanks.

While many forms of attachment means have been heretofore proposed, themajority of these prior devices are either cumbersome, diflicult toinstall and usually are not liquid-proof, particularly when the airplaneis in a steep dive or inverted position, especially when modern aromaticfuels are used, which have very low surface tension and tend to seepthrough conventional joints with commonplace packing means.

A further object of this invention is to provide an absolute fluid-proofseal for the joining means between tank fittings and the tanksthemselves, and furthermore, the present sealing means not onlyliquid-proofs-the joint between the fitting and the tank, but alsoencompasses or covers the threaded joining means.

In the drawings, I

Fig. 1 is representative of a typical illustration of the presentinvention Where a, pipe, such as a filling connection, is attached inliquid-proof relation with a registering opening formed in the tankwall; I

' Fig. 2 is a horizontal cross-section of this particular form offitting taken on line 2-2 of Fig, 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged perspective of the sealing ring per se and thenormally enclosed cooperating metallic ring in unassembled position;

Fig. 4 is a horizontal cross-section of a modified form of cooperatinring member; and

Fig. 5 is a vertical fragmental view taken on line 55 of Fig. 4 of thismodified form of the invention.

As before stated, the invention will be described with relation to atank filler pipe, but it will be understood that the invention isapplicable for forming a liquid-tight joint between any form ofiittingattached to a tank and in its broadest concept relates to attaching aflanged member to a wall. In the several figures of the drawings numeralI denotes the wall of'a container,

1 Claim. (Cl. 285-34) 2 openings 9 circumferentially spaced around andthrough the flange. These openings 9, which may be of any desired numberwill cooperate and register with similar openings II formed in the tankwall I. It is customary to place a Joint gasket I3 between the undersideof the fitting flange 1 and the outer surface of the tank wall I.

Bolts or other elongated threaded fastening means I5, placed on flangewashers I'I, pass downwardly through the openings 9 and II of thepreviously described assembly into the interior of the tank I where thethreaded portions I9 of the bolts I5 cooperate with and are threadedthrough screw threaded openings 2| circumferentially spaced around aring member 23.

The liquid sealing means for the fitting joint is formed to prevent fuelor other liquid in the tank I from seeping out around the threaded".bolts and th'openings formed through the several units of the fittingis the salient feature of the present invention, This sealing meanstakes the form of a substantially C-shaped resilient ring 25, which ismolded or otherwise fabricated such as an'aircraft fuel tank, which isprovided with a passage 3 cut therein and having an upstanding fillerpipe connection 5 in registry with the tank opening 3. The filler pipe 5is provided with an annular end flange I with a series of from aresilient synthetic rubber or other resin which will chemically resistthe action of the liquid in the tank. It will be observed that In theenlarged view of this sealing ring construction shown in Fig. 3 that thestraight side of the C-shaped ring is split or grooved to provide acontinuous opening 21 therein, which is of sufficient width toaccommodate the diameter of the threaded bolt I5. The G-shaped ring isshown.

in several figures as somewhat angular, but it will be understood thatthe sealing ring may be more rounded, or, in fact, can consist of aring-like member 25 of any configuration provided there is a flatsurface for the continuous groove 21 therein and with free side portions29--3I.

The assembly and function of the sealing ring 25 will be obvious from aconsideration of Fig. 1, which shows the inner solid flange ring 23having threaded bolt receiving openings 2I therein substantially coveredby the ring with the free side portions or ends 29 and 3| thereofabutting the inner surface of the tank wall I. The resilient sealingmember 25 with the inner ring 23 therein is placed in position aroundthe opening 3 and the bolts I5 passing through the openings in thefitting flange I, tank end, gaskets, etc., are secured in place byengagement of the threaded parts I9- and 2|, thus compressing the sideportions 29 and 3| of the ring by the tension applied through the boltsand ring 23. In practice it has been found that such a sealed jointdefeats the seepage of gasoline or aromatic fuels as used in aircraft,and the hazard of leaking fuel has been struction of the invention,where instead of using a continuous solid ring-like member 23 havingthreaded apertures 2| therein for cooperation with the screw threads I9on the bolts l5 2. series of threaded nuts 35 may be used which areapproximately equally spaced throughout the circumference of a sheetmetal retainer ring or cage 31. The ends of the ring or cage are bentover the inner and outer side edges of the nuts 35 and the nuts arerestricted from free movement around the ring or cage by crimpedindentations 39, while at the same time permitting the nuts to move to alimited degr'eeto secure registry of the threaded apertures of the nutswith the cooperating threaded bolts i5.

When the parts are assembled as shown in the drawings any desiredtension or compression may be placed on the side portions 29 and 3! ofthe c-shaped sealing ring so that regardless of what fuel is beinghandled in the tank or container the liquid-proof seal will preventescape of the fuel or liquid around the fitting holding bolts. The sealring 25 consequently serves as a fluid-proof gasket seal 23, the cage 31and the container wall as well as a cover over the threaded ends of thebolts l5.

Iciaim:

In a fiuidtight connection between a bolted pipe fitting and a fluidstorage tank, including a plurality of bolts passing through an integralflange on the fitting and apertures in the tank and engaging acooperating threaded ring member within the tank for drawing the fittingagainst the outside wall, and the ring member against the inside wall ofthe tank, the combination therewith of an endless, annular sealin memberof rubber-like material surrounding and covering said threaded ringmember and the ends of the bolts threaded therethrough, the free edgesof said sealing member being clamped between the inner face of said ringmember and the inner wall of the fuel tank to shield said ring memberand bolt ends from contact with the liquid.

JOSEPH C. DE WEESE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent: UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,689,575 Winn Oct.30, 1928 2,130,017 Lewis Sept, 13, 1938 2,266,611 Martin Dec. 16, 1941between the inner flange

